Means for securing guard-rails to main-line rails



(No Model.)

H. H. SPONENBURG. MEANS FOR SECURING GUARD RAILS TO MAIN LINE RAILS;

Patented Mar. 29, 1892.

A TTOHNE VS UNITED STATES PATENT Gnrrcn.

HIRAM H. SPONENBURG, OF MIKADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NORMAN B. SPONENBURG, OF EAST TAVAS, MICHIGAN.

MEANS FOR SECURING GUARD-RAILS TO MAlN-LlN E RAILS SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,906, dated March 29, 1892.

Application filed July 11, 1891. Serial No. 399,219 (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM H. SPONENBURG, residing at Mikado, Alcona county, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Means for Securing Guard-Rails to Main-Line Rails, of which the following is a specification. v

The guard-rails of frogs are usually held in place by means of spikes, and to afford reasonable security a great number of spikes must be employed. Hence the rails require to be very longto wit, sixteen feet or thereabout; but even this does not'attain the desired end since the spikes sooner or later become I5 loosened, owing to shrinkage or decay of the ties, so that the guard-rails are liable to be displaced or overturned by the lateral press ure of the wheels of passing trains, thus causing serious accidents.

I have devised improved means for holding the guard-rails, whereby spikes are dispensed 'with and the length of the rails reduced to five or six feet, at the same time attaining perfect security against accident from 2 5 the cause above stated.

My improvement consists in the means for clamping the guard-rails tothe main-line rails, as hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- 0 Figure 1 is a plan View showing my invention applied to a main-line rail and guard-rail. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and at are side views of the respective inner and outer rail-clamps. Fig. 5 is a per- 3 5 spective View of the clamp-box. A

A indicates a main-line rail, and B a short guard-rail.

I employ a composite clamp formed of three main parts-t0 Wit, the clamp-bar O, the blockclamp D, the intermediate rail-clamp E. The part G is a straight bar, passing transversely beneath both rails A B and having at one end a vertical head or arm 0, which embraces the outer flange and bears against the web of the 5 guard-rail B, while its other end 0 is in the form of a screw-bolt and passes through a slot cl, formed in the jaw or clamp-block D, which is suitably provided with a longitudinal groove (1', adapted to receive the adjacent 5o flange of the main rail A. A nut F screws on the bolt 0 and bears against the flat vertical outer side of the block-clamp D, and thus serves to draw and hold the two rails A B firmly together, as will bereadily understood. By means of the nut and screw the clamp can be alsoadjusted to fit rails of different sizes. The nut F will in practice be provided with a suitable lock.

The clamp E, arranged between the rails A B, is formed of two partsnamely, a head whose laterally-extended edges 6 rest on the adjacent inner flanges of the two rails A B, and a pendentbody portion which is provided with a slot or opening e, through which the clamp-bar 0 passes.

It is desirable the inner flanges of the rails A B shall bear against each other, as shown, and hence the inner flange of the guard-rail is notched or cut away at b to provide space for the slotted body of the clamp E.

It will be perceived that by the means above described the guard-rail B is fastened to the main rail A immovably yet detachably without the aid of spikes or supplementarydevices,

.and hence the objections before noted in respect to length of the guard-rail, decay of the ties, and insecurity of the fastening leading to serious accidents are avoided.

In practice two sets ofclamping devices will be used for each guard-rail, one being located nearly opposite the point of the frog and the other nearly opposite the knee of the wing-rail on the frog.

I apply my clamp to any rails that require to be secured together and do not limit its 85 use to guard-rails.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An improved rail-fastening composed of 0 the bar-clamp for embracing the outer flange of one rail, the block-clamp for embracing the opposite rail-flange, means for securing one end of the bar-clamp, and the intermediate rail-clamp adapted for attachment to the lat- 5 ter, substantially as shown and described.

2. The improved rail-fastening composed of the bar-clamp having one end provided with a screw or screw-bolt and its opposite end with an arm adapted to embrace the outer flange of one rail, a block-clamp adapted to embrace the outer flange of the adjacent rail and having an opening through which the that passes through said block-clamp, a nut said screw projects, a nut applied to said applied to the bolt, and the flanged and slotscrew-bolt, and the intermediate rail-clamp ted clamp E, arranged between the rails and having a flanged head and slotted body, as serving to secure their inner flanges to the 5 shown and described. h 1 snbjacent bar-clamp, as shown and described. 15

3. The combination, wit 1; 1e main-line rail "w t and guard-rail, of the slotted block-clamp, the HIRAM bPON ENBURG' bar-clamp having one end provided with an itnesses:

arm that embraces the outer flange of the GEO. E. LEACH,

IO guard-rail and its other end with a screw-bolt E. J. GOING. 

